Millennial or Generation Y employees, those born between 1981 and 2000, may be willing to jump the company ship at their first chance, but not for the reasons that most employers assume.

During turnstone's Millennials in the Workplace discussion at the Impact HUB on Wednesday, a group of young Northwest business leaders talked about recruiting and inspiring leadership and mentorship in the emerging workforce. Panelists included Amy Balliett, co-founder of Killer Infographics; Zachary Cohn, partner at Liffft; Forest Key, CEO and co-founder of buuteeq; and panelist moderator, David Niu, founder of TINYhr.

"(Millennials) are coming out of college and it's hard to commit to one (job). Once you find the things you like, then you dive a little deeper," said Cohn, partner at Liffft, where he builds products and consults with large companies.

By seeking these opportunities, the panelists said, the Millennial employees are looking to embark on a journey with their career.

"In this economy, getting an internship is the best way to get into the industry," said Balliett, of Killer Infographics, an infographic and motion graphic design company, which is almost entirely run by Millennial-aged employees.

At this stage of their careers, interns and new workers are not only looking to gain professional experience but also connect with their company, the panelists said. In striving to understand their companies, new workers can often come off as demanding egotists with their requests for "me time."

Those requests for more one-on-one meetings are not necessarily a bad thing, though. "All (our 19-year-old intern) wanted to do was do an amazing job," remembers Cohn. In struggling to manage the young worker, Cohn and Liffft's four other workers realized that they had to build a better framework to support new employees.

Yes, Millennials are coming into the workforce with less specialized skills, but companies need to know how to engage those employees not for just for personal growth, but so they can also be an asset to the company, the panelists said.

The idea of entitlement is "subjective," said Key, of buuteeq, which offers a marketing platform for the international hotel industry. "Overly ambitious Millennials don't always know that they don't know something, and to a lot of people, that turns into (perceiving) someone as egotistical," he said. "But if you declare knowledge of something and you don't actually have it, it can be problematic in a professional setting" and that's just something they have to learn.

Balliett said these professionals are willing to take on new projects, such as learning a complicated computer program. For some older, more established workers, the task can be daunting.

"I love employees (that are like) sponges," she said. "They are so excited to learn (those skills) and then they become the expert. It's going to take a long time (to learn) a certain skill set, but when you're young, you have the patience to learn those skills."

"We (Millennials) need to make sure we are growing and that we are not stagnating. If (companies) continue to give them learning opportunities, (those employees) will stay longer," Cohn said.

This emerging workforce shouldn't be looked at as a burden but a boon for business. Millennials bring an edge to companies by bringing in fresh insight, despite not having years of work under their belts.

When employees lack experience, they can also lack confidence, Balliett said. "I learned that I had to empower my employees. They are the experts (in the industry). Our clients are paying them for their expertise."

Ana Sofia Knauf is a staff writer for the Puget Sound Business Journal.